wild animals in entertainment

13.6.2018

Animal suffering on tour

Thousands of wild animals are still suffering in European Circuses. A travelling circus cannot take the needs of the animals into consideration. The business constantly moves from location to location, cages have to be transported and therefore need to take up as little space as possible and be able to be assembled and disassembled as fast as possible. And so the animals spend most of their time in transport wagons that are far too small. There’s no room for climbing, digging, running, bathing or swimming.

The Federal Council has already called for a ban on certain wild animal species in 2003 and 2011, and most recently in March 2016. In the meantime, 17 EU states have prohibited or at least restricted the keeping of wild animals in traveling circusses. In 2016, Norway and Scotland announced appropriate steps. Germany has become a negative animal welfare policy example.

FOUR PAWS demands:

a ban on wild animals in circuses

a ban on the breeding and replacement of circus animals in the short term

that domesticated animals should only be permitted in circuses if appropriate keeping conditions can be guaranteed. Only an approved list of specified animals should be allowed.

the confiscation and adequate re-housing of animals subjected to bad keeping conditions.

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Restrictions on the keeping of animals in circuses

European prohibitions or restrictions of the keeping of animals in circuses